Sunggyu dug around in his pocket as he headed for Haeng Bok apartments.

“Where is it?” He wondered as he reached into his back pocket. He realized he probably left the paper with his name on it, at that fake fortune teller’s place. “Oh well…” He sighed solemnly, and headed to elevator B. “I think I remember the way.”

As he stood in the creaky elevator, waiting for it to take him to the top floor, he felt a wave of nostalgia take over him.

It had already been five years since he had died.

Sunggyu never failed to take in how much the apartment building had changed every year. The wallpaper had started to peel, and the once squeaky clean floors, were sullied with grime. Most of the residents used to be wholesome families and old couples, but as time went on, they had all eventually abandoned the deteriorating establishment in exchange for a cleaner neighborhood.

As he exited the elevator, he remembered running down the hall as a child, excited to see him. They were so close. That person was like his light. His support. His only reason for bothering to wake up each morning. But now…

♥ ♣ ♦ ♠

Woohyun’s heart was beating out of his chest as he raced down the dirty streets past abandoned factory buildings and run down convenience stores. He struggled to swallow down the lump in his throat, as his mouth went dry.

He wouldn’t let it happen again.

Memories of Boohyun, his older brother flooded through his mind. The way he always used to smile so gently as if he was scared that if his lips stretched any farther they would tear. The way the older boy used to comfort Woohyun as a child whenever he was scared or had a bad dream. He always used to tell Woohyun everything would be ok. That they would be happy one day.

But then Woohyun would always tell him that he’s happy now, because Boohyun was with him. Boohyun would never say anything in response and instead smile faintly, and Woohyun’s hair until the younger fell asleep.

It was all lies.

Woohyun hated himself then for being a stupid child who couldn’t see what was so obvious. Boohyun wasn’t happy. He had never been happy after their parents had abandoned them. Woohyun wanted desperately to be enough to make his brother happy. He lived in denial for so long, convincing himself that all they needed was each other.

But he was wrong.

Boohyun needed more. And Woohyun didn’t understand…until it was too late.

Flashbacks of that scene…that last time he saw Boohyun. They haunted his dreams. In fact since that time all those years ago, when he came home from school to see his older brother hanging from the ceiling fan by his own necktie, blood dripping from his wrists. Since then Woohyun had never slept through the night.

For years after that Woohyun only kept to himself, recounting and replaying in his mind every little occurrence and sign that led up to his older brother’s suicide. He trained himself to become acutely aware of the signs. Because it was his own fault. If he wasn’t so naïve he could have saved his brother, he had told himself. And he had made himself believe it too.

This Kim Sunggyu person…the signs were all there. And Woohyun wouldn’t let it happen again. He refused to let someone else hide away their suffering to such a degree that they would eventually give up on the world completely.

Woohyun had hope. He was sure of Sunggyu’s cry for help on the note. Why would Sunggyu ask for help if he was going to give up? But he couldn’t be too sure. He pushed himself to run faster. He had to make it. He just had to.

♥ ♣ ♦ ♠

Sunggyu’s legs felt heavier at each step down the corridor towards the door. The moment he pushed open the door to the rooftop, a gust of cold wind shocked his skin. He ignored it, and forced his feet forward, towards the metal railing. He gripped onto the cold metal as he gazed up at the darkening sky, and the red sun setting in the distance.

That person always thought the sunsets here were the best. Like the sun was setting the sky on fire, he used to say. Sunggyu smiled softly, as memories colored his mind.

“It’s already been another year...since you left.” Sunggyu thought.

This rooftop was the last place. The last place they were together, before they parted. Before he left this world and left Sunggyu all alone.

Sunggyu traced the scratches along the metal railing, before his fingers slipped through the hexagonal gaps and gripped onto the steel wire as he hoisted himself up.

This is where I end…

Sunggyu took in the cold evening air through his lungs and closed his eyes.

…Sunggyu-yah.

“NO!” A voice suddenly screeched startling Sunggyu so much that his grip on the fence slipped and he ended up falling backwards onto his bottom. “D-DON’T DO IT! PLEASE!” Woohyun threw himself onto the ground beside the older man and pulled Sunggyu into a tight embrace.

Sunggyu was more than a little shocked to see the fake fortune teller there, and even more so that he was squeezing him so tightly.

“W-What’re you doing—?”

“P-Please…” Woohyun’s voice was nothing more than a shaky whisper in Sunggyu’s ear. “D-Don’t leave…”

Sunggyu was still completely confused and was about to push the other man away when he heard a quiet sniffle.

“Is he…is he crying?”  Sunggyu blinked, as he stared down at Woohyun, who’s face was buried into Sunggyu’s chest, gripping onto his ripped t-shirt.

“Y-Yah…” Sunggyu pulled away slightly, to look at Woohyun’s face. “W-What’s wrong with you?”

“I-I’ll be here for you!” Woohyun cried, his eyes red and swollen. He bit his lip in an attempt to control his sobs, with limited success. “I-I’m not much but please! J-Just don’t leave! I promise I’ll never abandon you and I’ll try my hardest t-to make you happy. You don’t have to give this ty world another chance, but at least give me one chance to—!”

“W-Wait a second!” Sunggyu cut him off. “What are you even talking about?”

Woohyun whined slightly, as he clutched onto Sunggyu’s sleeves desperately.

“I don’t even know you. W-Why are you telling me not to leave you?” Sunggyu questioned.

“N-Not me! This world! Y-You can’t die yet!” Woohyun exclaimed between hiccups.

“What?” Sunggyu tilted his head. “Die? Why do you think I’m going to die?”

“W-What?” Woohyun paused, staring at Sunggyu with wide eyes. “W-Weren’t you going to jump?”

“Jump?” Sunggyu’s lips parted slightly, sending Woohyun a perplexed look. “Why would you think that?”

Woohyun hurriedly fished the note with Sunggyu’s name on it out of his pocket. “B-Because of this!” He shoved the piece of paper into Sunggyu’s hands. “It says ‘part on the rooftop!’ Like part from this world doesn’t it? And before you asked me when you would die!”

“Ah so I did leave this at your place…” Sunggyu glanced down at the note, before meeting Woohyun’s gaze again. “But why’d you come all the way here?”

“T-To stop you obviously!” Woohyun stammered.

 “But why? I’m a stranger to you.”

Woohyun averted his gaze, and folded his hands in his lap. He wasn’t willing to suddenly spill everything about his brother. Sunggyu noticed the other’s silence, and sighed.

“Y-You were right about the last line…about parting from this world.”

Woohyun instantly looked up with worried eyes.

“But it wasn’t about me.” Sunggyu explained, figuring he had nothing to lose anyways. “The person who wrote this note…was my cousin.”

 “What?”

“He had an illness…and he was going to die, so he wrote this note to me. He wanted me to help him make his last day end well. This rooftop…he wanted this to be the last place he went before he…died. Before he parted with this world…and from me.” Sunggyu kept his gaze on his fingers which fumbled about with the note.

Woohyun didn’t know what to say, so he just sat there and dumbly nodded.

“Aren’t you going to say sorry?” Sunggyu suddenly asked.

“For what?” Woohyun frowned.

“I don’t know…” Sunggyu shrugged, and leaned back, resting his weight on his palms. “That’s what people say when you tell them someone you know died, isn’t it?”

“What’s the point?” Woohyun murmured, catching Sunggyu’s attention. “Its not like a stupid word like sorry is going to bring him back…”

Sunggyu studied Woohyun’s dark expression for a moment, before looking up at the sky and sighing. “Yeah…I guess not.”

They ended up sitting there for hours just looking up at the night sky, listening to the faint sounds of cars buzzing by, and sirens running every so often. Neither of them spoke.

Woohyun felt exhausted, his body was sore from running past his limits, he felt a headache coming on and his heart felt raw as if it had been sliced open. He hadn’t cried in front of anyone before. Except Boohyun. After that, he saved his tears for when he was huddled up on the lumpy sofa crammed in the backroom of his so called business, alone in the dark.

He was scared and nervous and was debating whether he should just up and run away. But whenever he tried to, his legs stiffened and he froze in his sitting position with his legs crossed. He wondered why Sunggyu was also just sitting there. Why wasn’t he leaving?

♥ ♣ ♦ ♠

Woohyun groaned slightly before pulling the blanket tighter over his shoulder. Suddenly his eyes shot open and he sat up. He looked around to see he was back in his place, lying on his lumpy couch with a blanket draped over him.

“What…?” He rubbed his eyes, in disbelief. “How…? The last thing he remembered was the rooftop…and Kim Sunggyu. He remembered being too sore to move, and that he was drifting off to sleep. After that...

“A warm back…” Woohyun remembered. And then he realized something. Last night was the first time since Boohyun died, that he had actually slept through the night. No nightmares. No being jolted awake in the middle of the night in a cold sweat.

He hastily tossed the blanket aside and pushed past the gold curtain separating his home from his work. But no one was there.

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I finished writing this, so it'll have five chapters in all :D